Nympholepsy
by ShikallllTema
Summary: (On Hiatus) AU. after finding an unconscious Ichigo, Karin sets out to find answers. If this just so happens to involve infiltration of Karakura High's secret society: Seireitei, then so be it. As she comes to find, though, not everyone cares for the law. Hitsukarin
1. Chapter 1

**Nympholepsy**

_A frenzy of emotion, as for something unattainable._

_I'm posting this because no one seems to want me to focus on My Puppy Shiro. Because if you guys wanted me to update it, I assume you would've told me in a review. I settled for 5 last week, but no more. No updates till 10 reviews._

**Chapter 1**

"Hey Ichi- Oh my gosh! Ichigo!" Yuzu shouted, dropping the small towel she had been rubbing her hands dry with. Quickly stepping forward into her brother's room, she called for her twin sister. "Karin! Quick, Ichigo is hurt!"

Running as fast as she could at the sound of her distressed sister, Karin soon arrived in the doorway. Her grey eyes flew open as they took in the sight before her.

Ichigo Kurosaki was passed out on his bed with numerous bandages holding him together. The deep scarlet of his blood had already begun to soak through the wrappings on his forehead.

"Yuzu! Go get dad! And tell him to bring some supplies from the clinic!" Nodding, the small blonde ran past Karin in a hurry to reach their father, who was currently in the family clinic.

Karin moved closer to Ichigo's bed as she tried to overcome her sudden, immense fear. He couldn't be dead; logic told her that. Once you're dead, there's no heartbeat to keep you bleeding.

Coming to a stop next to his head, she fell to the floor, on her knees. She reached a tentative hand out, toward his forehead, but stopped once she heard her father rush into the room. Yuzu stood back in the doorway, too afraid to come closer.

"Karin, take Yuzu down. Watch the clinic." Isshin grunted, unusually serious.

"R-right." Karin mumbled, leading her sister down and away from their fading brother.

Later that night, Isshin had assured the twins that Ichigo would be alright, but he might not wake up for a while.

Karin was furious. First, he just goes and disappears for days, and then there he is; lying on his bed, unconscious and seriously wounded! What could he have possibly been out doing?

_**/**_

After a long, restless night, Karin rolled out of bed and strode out through her door and down the stairs. Surprisingly though, she wasn't consumed by any scents. Proving her suspicions, Karin glanced into the kitchen. It was empty. The lights hadn't even been turned on! Jogging back up the stairs, Karin knocked on her twin sister's door.

Upon entering, she discovered that the blonde hadn't slept in, like she had assumed. She was just sitting on her bed, staring off into space.

"Hey, Yuzu?" Karin asked, moving further into the dark room. Yuzu looked up.

"Oh, good morning Karin." She gave a faint smile. It was an effort, at least.

"Aren't you coming to school today?" Karin wondered. Yuzu lied back down in bed.

"I don't think I'd be able to concentrate."

"Yuzu… You know Ichi wouldn't want you to worry."

"And Ichigo knows we don't want him to run off and get himself in trouble." She shot back, rolling onto her side.

Karin sighed. "Well alright. I'll bring your work home."

"Thanks, Karin."

And with that, Karin turned and walked back out into the hall, closing her sister's door behind her. Now she was worried about _both _her siblings. Isn't that just great?

Going back over to her own bedroom, Karin hurriedly changed into her grey school uniform. She and her sister Yuzu were freshmen at Karakura High. Her older brother, Ichigo, was a senior.

Since no one had prepared breakfast, and there was no time to sit and eat it anyway, Karin grabbed a pre-washed apple off the dining table.

_**/**_

Once she had arrived at school, she dumped the core of the apple into the garbage, and set her bag down so she could change her shoes.

As Karin sat on the bench, unlacing her signature red calf-high boots she had come in, she couldn't help but overhear the conversation a group of girls were having behind her.

"Hey, guys, have you seen those seniors yet?"

"You mean the Seireitei guys?"

"Yea! I wonder what happened? They're all bruised and cut up. They seemed just fine on Friday..."

Karin's eyes widened. Seniors… injured. By now she had finished with her shoes. Jumping up from the bench, Karin turned around. "Hey, where can I find the seniors you're talking about?"

The older girls looked down at Karin curiously. They had never met, yet she spoke to them so familiarly.

"Ah… I just saw Kuchiki walking that way a little while ago." One of the girls answered, pointing down a hall. Karin grabbed her bag and raced down the designated hallway, calling a thank you over her shoulder.

Unfortunately though, she didn't see anyone still loitering around in this hall. As she was running though, she heard a hushed voice say her name. Stopping in front of the door it came from, she closed her eyes and focused on listening.

"Did you drop Kurosaki off okay?" a deep, male voice pondered.

"Yes, it went fine. Nobody noticed me. I checked back in early this morning, and it seems his family found him and have been taking care of him." A low, yet feminine voice answered.

"Good. We can't have anybody associating him with us." The first voice responded.

"Yea, wouldn't want to get in trouble or anything." A third voice said. This one, like the first, belonged to a man.

Laughter, ranging from low chuckles to loud howls, filled the room.

"Shut up. This is hardly the time to be laughing." The first voice said.

"Oh, but Captain, we should enjoy life while we can! We were so close to losing, the other night!" A high pitched voice female whined.

"Exactly. Spend your time training, so that doesn't happen again!" the first voice, now angry, shouted.

Karin, by this point, was seething. Her brother was lying in his bed, unconscious, and they were _laughing_. She opened her eyes, about ready to storm in there and set them straight, when she realized her cover was blown.

Upon opening her eyes, Karin found herself intimately close to a man's chest. Looking up, she was greeted with white hair, teal eyes, and an angry frown, all placed perfectly on an angular face.

Finally able to assess the situation, Karin covered her surprise up with anger. How did he open the door without her even hearing? How long had he been observing her eavesdropping? She pushed those thoughts aside, and grabbed the grey school jacket of the man in front of her.

Before she could get a word out, the man spoke. "I suggest you unhand me." This made Karin angrier.

"And who the hell are _you_ to tell _me_ what to do?" She roared.

The man appeared unfazed by her harsh words. Instead, he simply raised an eyebrow, and gave her a once over with his cold eyes.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but I _believe_ I am your upperclassman. Freshman, right?" he responded.

Karin's glare intensified.

The man smirked. "Thought so. Look, little girl," he paused as he effortlessly tore her hands off of his blazer. "I advise you learn manners. Here's a crash course: never touch a stranger so familiarly, know your superiors, and _never_ eavesdrop. It could get you into quite a bit of trouble one day." With that, the man turned and made his way down the hall.

Looking away from his retreating figure to the doorway he had just come from, she found the space occupied. There was a red haired woman with large breasts watching her with wide eyes. Beside her stood a short, angry girl with violet eyes and black hair. Behind her was a tall man, about the same height as her brother, with his bright red hair pulled up into a pony tail.

"Matsumoto!" The white haired man called. Blinking, the red-headed female detached herself from the group, and went running after him.

"Coming, Captain!" She called.

Now seeing an opening, Karin noticed the room behind the remaining two figures was filled with many older students who she had never noticed around the school before. Karin watched as, one by one, they filed out and left her alone in the hallway.

Too stunned to have talked earlier, she finally called out a "H-hey!" But they were already gone. She'd have to come back later if she wanted to talk to them…

_**Ah, sweet little Karin… are you sure that's what you wanna do? Course it is!**_

_**Just so there's no confusion, I assure you, this is AU. They are not shinigami. And yes, I made Karin and Yuzu closer in age to Ichigo. You'll live**_

_**And though it hasn't been addressed yet, Toshirou is a junior, while the others are basically all seniors**_

_**And if it really matters that much to you, the first voice was Toshirou, the second was Rukia, the third was Renji, and the fourth was Matsumoto. **_

_**Toshirou was kinda OC… but he had to earn Karin's respect somehow.**_

10 reviews and I'll update next weekend

20 reviews and I'll update as soon as I notice the count


	2. Chapter 2

**Nympholepsy**

_A frenzy of emotion, as for something unattainable._

**Chapter 2**

After Karin had given the room a once over, she deduced that it was just a regular old classroom. She didn't know why it wasn't being used by a class at the moment, but she didn't seem to think it mattered, either.

Realizing she was going to be late to class if she didn't hurry up, she turned around and lightly jogged back down the hall. Once back in the entrance room, she darted down a separate hallway. Freshmen classrooms were on the first floor.

Once she entered the classroom, a couple of the students called a good morning at her. Grunting in response, she made her way to her seat and sat down just as the soft chime of the bell sounded.

_**/**_

'Two X squared plus nine X minus four equals zero. Solve.' Karin recited, in her head. She was currently working on her math homework, and was having a bit of a hard time remembering the quadratic formula. 'What the hell was it? X equals the inverse of B plus or minus the… cubed root? Square root? Then what?' As she was filing in the numbers for the bits and pieces she could remember of the formula, she found that she must have been pressing on the paper too hard with her pencil, as the tip snapped off. 'Damn-it!' she mentally cussed. Standing up, she angrily grabbed her pencil and went over to the sharpener, which was mounted on the wall right beside the row of windows.

As Karin spun the handle on the pencil sharpener, she couldn't help but gaze out of the window. Being on the ground floor, there wasn't much of a view. But it did enable her to better notice a strange man standing at the entrance to the school grounds, watching the building. Pausing in her motions, she unconsciously leaned forward slightly, trying to get a better look at the man. He had bright, ostentatious, icy blue hair. The style reminded her somewhat of the rude, white haired boy from early; only this man's was thinner. Karin couldn't believe his grin was wide enough for her to see it from such a distance, but she could. It rather creeped her out. She couldn't quite make out the details of his outfit, but she did note that it was mostly white.

"Hey, Kurosaki, are you almost done?"

Whipping her head around at the sudden interruption, Karin noticed a small line had formed behind her. "Ah… yea." She muttered, pulling her pencil away. Looking back out the window for one last glimpse of the stranger, she was shocked to see that he was gone. There was no evidence that anyone had ever been there. She involuntarily shivered.

_**/**_

Once the bell for lunch chimed, Karin reached for her backpack from the back of her seat. She pulled her bento box out, and set it on her desk. Just as she was about to put her backpack back, she realized something. Those older kids might be meeting during lunch.

Shoving her lunch back in her bag, she slung it over her shoulder and hurriedly left the classroom. She tried to move slow enough so as to not attract any unwanted attention, but once she got into the hallway, she seemed to stop caring about that.

Scurrying down the hall and toward the room she had earlier spied the older students, she noticed that she seemed to be alone. There were no other kids around her, which was odd. Usually during lunch, there was at least one student loitering in the halls.

Her pace slowed as she neared her destination. Once she stood before the open door, she was upset to find that the room was still empty. Walking forward and into the deserted room, she made her way to the windows. The sunlight was the only thing keeping the room lit.

She placed her hands against the cool glass, followed soon by her forehead. Karin let out a frustrated sigh and closed her eyes. Giving herself a moment to cool down, she just stood there like that. Once she was calm, she lifted her head and moved her hands to push the window open, so as to let a fresh breeze into the stale room. She leaned forward, placing her elbows on the sill and her head in her hands. Breathing in the rigid spring air, she was able to relax for the first time today.

"Ah! What the fuck?" Karin eyes snapped open as she heard a loud shout. Looking around her, she was unable to find anyone who the noise could have come from.

"Dude! Help me up already!" Finally looking up, Karin was shocked to see what appeared to be a dangling man! He was hanging from the roof, holding onto the broken chain link fence for dear life.

Spinning on her heel, Karin rushed out of the classroom and down the hall. She ran full force up countless steps until she made it to a dirty old metal door labeled 'roof access'. Throwing her body weight at the door, she pushed it open and stumbled forward onto the cement floor. Finally, she was able to give herself a moment to catch her breath.

Upon her abrupt entrance, the occupants of the roof turned to stare at the younger girl. Most of them, that is. The black haired girl from earlier seemed to be too preoccupied, hoisting the red haired boy back up onto safe ground. As well, the woman who she recognized as Matsumoto was twirling around with her eyes closed, singing "If I had it my way, you know that I'd make her say: Ooooooooh Ooooooooh!" whilst she clenched her pink iPod in her fist. A rough elbow to the gut was all it took for her to shut up and unplug herself. Now, she too stared at Karin.

"Ah-"

"I thought I set you straight this morning." Looking to the left, Karin noticed the same white haired boy from earlier.

Karin narrowed her eyes and turned around to close the door. Pulling on the latch, she successfully locked the door. No one could interrupt.

"Actually, no. You didn't. See, I've only been showing up around you guys because I want answers. So until I get what I'm looking for, don't think I'm gonna leave you be." She spat.

"Look, freshman, this club is invite only. We don't let just anybody in. Even if you are cute." Shifting her gaze to the right, Karin saw a short, yet still taller than herself, girl with her dark hair tied up in a bun.

Movement before her caught her eye, so she looked to see a bald man walk closer to her. "Hey, if she wants to play so bad, why not let her?" He smirked.

A man with dark, shoulder length hair sighed "Ikkaku…"

Karin began to grown nervous and the hairless man continued to approach her.

"What's the matter, baby? Scared?" He asked, leaning down and invading her personal space.

Karin was unable to speak. This man's very aura just completely terrified her. In one swift motion, Ikkaku was behind her with his hands clenched into the fabric on her shoulders. He pushed her forward, causing her to stumble slightly.

"Awe, what's wrong? What happened to all the big talk just a minute ago?" He taunted.

Karin was, by now, less scared and more pissed. No one treated her like a little girl. Her fear once again overwhelmed her though, as Ikkaku continued to push her forward and into the center of the group. Though they were once scattered around the roof, most of them had begun moving toward the middle of the floor.

With one final shove, she was absorbed into the group of dangerous looking teenagers. Gasping, she felt numerous hands over her. What little bit of safety she felt from the weight of her backpack was taken away as she felt it torn from her body.

The group continued to push the young girl around, causing her to become disoriented and embarrassed. As she felt a hand grab and tighten over her bum, though, she forgot all the fear the group had caused, and angrily kicked her foot out, making good contact with someone in front of her. She wasn't sure if it was the person who had grabbed her, but she was satisfied to hear a shriek of pain.

As the passing of the girl came to a halt, she looked down to the ground to see the bun-clad girl from earlier sitting on the ground and rubbing her already bruised calf. Karin smirked with satisfaction. The injured girl looked up at Karin with pure hate in her eyes and let out a battle scream as she lunged at the triumphant girl.

"Hinamori!" Someone shouted

Karin, startled, fell onto her back. Straddling Karin's waist, Hinamori threw a punch at her face. Karin's head snapped to the side as she felt the older girl's fist make contact with her cheek. At least she didn't go for the eye; she hit like a girl. Leaving no time for Hinamori to hit her more, Karin threw back her own punch, rolling so that the revengeful girl was on bottom.

She didn't get but two hits in, however, as she was grabbed around the waist and pulled off of Hinamori. In an attempt to cause more damage to the girl, Karin begun thrashing her legs around and pulling at the arms encircled around her.

Hinamori, as well, felt the score was unsettled, and moved to jump on Karin again. She too, though, was restrained just in time. Matsumoto had her elbows in the girls armpits, with her bent arms pointed upward, keeping Hinamori from advancing.

Karin, still not done, spit at the girl. And with that, Karin's captor, spun her to the left so had to strain to even look at Hinamori.

After she had calmed down some, Karin glanced up to see who was holding her. It was the red haired boy.

"Momo." A familiar voice called. Both girls turned to see the white haired boy.

"Shiro!" Hinamori replied, finally getting loose from Matsumoto and running to latch onto the annoyed boy.

"Whore." Karin muttered under her breath. She turned her head to look at the red-head again as she heard him chuckle quietly. She couldn't help the smirk that formed on her lips. Clearly, she wasn't the only one with that opinion of the girl.

The boy looked over to Karin, trying to lightly shake the clingy girl off of him. "What's your name?" He asked.

"It's polite to give your own name before asking someone else's."

"Toshirou Hitsugaya."

Karin smirked.

"Call me Karin."

_**You guys know how this works:**_

_**10 reviews = an update this weekend**_

_**20 reviews = an update once I notice the count**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Nympholepsy**

_A frenzy of emotion, as for something unattainable._

**Chapter 3**

Toshirou nodded, switching his gaze from Karin to the man holding her. "You can let go, Abarai."

And with that, Renji dropped Karin onto her feet. She moved her hands to rub her stomach, as he had previously been squeezing her rather tightly. Looking back over her shoulder at him once more, she saw him give her a nod. A nod of acceptance. Karin would have smiled, had she not been trying to look intimidating and tough.

"So, Karin." She looked back toward Toshirou.

"You mentioned you had some questions." It wasn't a question, but he was asking. Karin was beginning to get an idea of his personality.

"I did." She nodded. Toshirou raised an eyebrow, prompting her to continue. "Well first off, who the hell are you people?" she roared.

Toshirou appeared surprised by her sudden outburst, as did many of the people surrounding her.

Hinamori finally let Toshirou free from her grip so she could move to stand in front of him. "Are you serious? You keep stalking us and you don't even know who we are?"

Karin glared at her. She could tell they probably wouldn't be getting along.

Toshirou sighed and walked around Hinamori to get closer to Karin. "We are… a club. A society, if you will. We are all a part of the Seireitei." His words came off as cold and bored. He clearly just wanted to get back to his lunch.

Karin frowned. She recognized the word from the girls standing behind her this morning, but besides that, she couldn't recall ever having heard the title before.

By the look on her face, Toshirou could tell she didn't know what he was talking about.

Sighing again, he closed his eyes in frustration. He moved his hand up to rub the bridge of his nose in an attempt to keep this girl from causing him a headache.

"Look, _everyone_ wants in our society, but no one knows _why_. You're no different from them. You have no chance with us. So please, just leave. I was the first freshman invited in, and trust me, I will be the last."

Karin pushed the hurt feeling that accumulated in her chest aside, and set her focus back on anger. "You honestly think some short little kid like you is gonna get me to do what he says? And for your information, I wasn't looking to join your stupid society, anyways."

Toshirou's anger became far more apparent. Not wanting to waste his time with the hot-head any longer, he turned and strode toward the door. He smirked, seeing the lock in place. Turning back toward the girl, he said "Did you really think you'd be able to stop us from unlocking this door?" He grabbed the latch and twisted it up, successfully unlocking the exit. "Pathetic." He said, walking forward and into the building.

Karin had had enough. He just kept insulting her! Noticing a piece of scrap mettle sitting a few inches ahead of her, a wicked idea formed in her head. Stepping forward, she focused all of her strength into her right foot, pulled it back, and swung it forward. She nailed the metal perfectly, causing it to go soaring toward Toshirou's head.

Before anybody could react, the metal piece followed Toshirou into the school. Fortunately, the lithe boy ducked just as it went whizzing over his head. The only sound to be heard was the clatter of the metal hitting the wall and falling to the ground. Toshirou remained in his crouched position as Karin stared in shock. As she stared at the older boy, the scary people around her faded away with the background.

Toshirou slowly stood up, still not facing her.

Karin opened her mouth to speak, but she had no idea what she was going to say. Luckily, Toshirou beat her to the punch.

"What's your last name?" Still, all she could see was his back.

Karin took a moment to think the question over. She had come to find out about her brother. But… _'Good. We can't have anybody associating him with us.'_ The words she heard Toshirou say this morning came rushing back. She began to think they'd be less inclined to tell her what they were up to if she was there for Ichigo. Yet if she didn't answer, that'd look suspicious, and they might find out themselves.

"Suzuki." She blurted out. It was the name of the last patient she had worked on. Thinking back, she regretted not using her deceased mother's maiden name. Well… there was no changing it now.

"Karin… Suzuki. This is the last time I will warn you. Don't come looking for us anymore." And with that, he continued on down the stairs.

Karin continued watching him, until she felt someone shove her. She gave an agitated growl as she watched Hinamori bounce away after Toshirou. Matsumoto, as well, seemed to be following him. She, however, had manners. As she walked unsurely toward the exit, she gave Karin a strange look. Sort of… apologetic and indecisive.

The bell rang, then, causing the rest of the occupants of the roof to begin filing out. No one spoke. And just when Karin thought she was alone, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she was greeted with the sight of Renji holding her backpack. His head was turned to the side as he held the bag out, refusing to make eye contact.

"Ah… thanks." She said. He grunted, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and walked back into school.

Karin sighed. She didn't feel like getting back to class. She was late already, anyways. Shouldering her bag, she turned to look out at the school grounds. Making her way to the broken fence, she sat down. She didn't know how they had managed to break it… but she didn't say it bothered her. She liked having a view that wasn't ruined by the safety fence.

Sitting on the edge of the roof with her legs dangling off the edge, she pulled her bento out of her backpack for the second time today. Realizing she wasn't really all that hungry, she set the food aside and pulled her water bottle out. After a few sips, she screwed the cap back on and discarded it to the side with her food. Growing bored with the school grounds, she lied back and looked up to watch the clouds.

Next thing Karin knew, she was opening her eyes from a dreamless sleep. She hadn't even realized how tired she had been until waking up from her impromptu nap. She groaned as the pain of sleeping on cement finally caught up to her. On the first attempt at opening her eyes, the sunlight blinded her. As the rest of the world slowly came into focus, however, she noticed someone standing over her.

Shock was the first thing to register in her mind, so she jumped up and took a step back. She immediately regretted it, as she felt nothing beneath the heel of her foot. Upon glancing behind her, she remembered the broken fence. Clutching onto the part of the fence beside her that was still standing, she analyzed the stranger.

Before her stood a little girl, dressed in the junior high uniform she had been dressed in, up until this year. She had short pink hair and a huge grin.

"Hi there!" she shouted.

"Uh… hello." Karin replied, unsure of the little girl.

"Why were you sleeping here?" She asked.

Karin didn't answer her. "Who are you?" she asked, instead. The girl looked at her curiously.

"I'm Ya-"

"Yachiru!" A loud, angry male voice shouted.

"Oh, I gotta go now. Bye bye sleepy head!" She called, running back into the building. Karin faintly heard her scream, "Coming, Kenny!"

Finally taking notice of the setting sun, she figured school must have just let out. That might have even been what woke her up. Either that, or the strange little girl…

Gathering her stuff, she gave the school grounds below her one last look, and began her walk home. She had planned to try to get more answers from Seireitei, but decided it could wait. She still had to pick up Yuzu's homework… as well as her homework for the classes she skipped.

_**/**_

"Excuse me, Yamamoto, sir?" Toshirou called, knocking lightly on the already open door. An old man looked up at him from behind a cherry oak desk adorned with a gold colored plate that read: Principal Yamamoto.

"Yes, Mr. Hitsugaya?"

"I was wondering if I could see the records of one of the new freshmen. Karin Suzuki."

_**What? Yamamoto, the principal, is working with Seireitei?**_

_**Moral of the story: don't lie. You never know whos got connections.**_

_**Oh, and, theres a link to some pictures I drew for this story on my profile**_

_**10 reviews I'll update next Friday**_

_**20 reviews I'll update right away**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Nympholepsy**

_A frenzy of emotion, as for something unattainable._

**Chapter 4**

When Karin awoke the next morning, she was pleased to smell the lovely scent of Yuzu's cooking. Thankfully, her sister was feeling more herself today.

Karin stretched her arms out above her head before pulling her covers off and stepping onto the cold, hardwood floor. Stumbling toward her closet, she grabbed her uniform. After going through the tedious task of dressing herself, Karin went over to her desk. She gathered up her school books and pencils, and then unceremoniously dumped them into her school bag. Tossing her backpack on her bed, she made her way toward the door.

When the dark haired girl arrived at the dinning table, she greeted her sister with an unenthused "Good morning."

Once breakfast had been finished, Karin went to the bathroom. She grabbed her red toothbrush and the toothpaste before going to work on her teeth.

After spitting out the foamed up paste from her mouth, Karin grabbed a red hair-band and went to work, tying her hair up. As always, she left her bangs out to frame her face. Ever since she tried this look in Junior High, she'd grown accustomed to it and just felt weird when she left it down for school.

"Karin, are you coming? We're gonna be late!" Her twin sister called up the stairs.

"Yea, I just finished!" Karin yelled back. Turning the light off behind her, Karin exited the bathroom and ran down the stairs to meet up with her sister at the door. As she sat down to put her red boots on, she realized she had left her bag upstairs. "Ah… you go ahead, Yuzu. I'll catch up in a few." She said.

Yuzu blinked. "Are you sure? I don't mind waiting."

"Yea, go ahead. I don't wanna get you in trouble for being late." Karin nodded.

"Well… okay. I'll see you at school then. Bye!" Yuzu called, leaving the house.

Once her sister had shut the door, Karin stood up and ran back upstairs. Once she grabbed her backpack off her bed, she went running back out into the hallway. As she was about to pass Ichigo's room, however, she slowed to a stop. 'Maybe I should check on him' she thought. Turning the knob slowly and giving a light push on the door, she stepped forward and peeked inside. Everything looked the same…

And that's when she realized something. Her dad had shut the window last night, saying too much cold air wasn't good for him. And yet… the curtains were blowing in the breeze. Gripping her bag tighter, in case she'd need to use it as a weapon, she kicked the door open. No one else seemed to be in the room… looking over to the closet, she noted that it was closed. Moving toward it, she braced herself and quickly slid the door open.

Empty

Karin sighed. Yuzu had probably just come in this morning and opened it. She moved over toward the window and slid it closed. _'I checked back in early this morning, and it seems his family found him and have been taking care of him'_ The words came back to her, and she realized she had more problems than she thought. And with that, she locked the window.

_**/**_

When Karin finally arrived at school, she knew she was late. She sat down in front of her shoe locker and brought her foot up on the bench, beside her. Just as she untied the tight black bow, she heard footsteps come to a stop behind her.

"Nice of you to finally show up." Looking back over her shoulder, she found Matsumoto standing there with her arms crossed and leaning against a wall of lockers.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" Karin asked, getting back to work on her shoes.

"Oh, please don't make me go! I hate woooork!" Matsumoto whined.

Karin raised an eyebrow, though the older girl couldn't see. "Well I can't really _make_ you do anything. Besides, you're not my responsibility. I don't care what you do." Karin finished unlacing her boot, and slid her foot out. She then started on the next one. "So did you need something?" She asked. "I know you're not here to help me, or anything."

"Actually, I am!" The red-head cheered, walking around Karin and taking a seat on the bench, so they could see one another.

"You're… what?" Karin couldn't comprehend that they were actually willing to give her what she needs.

"Well… I can't tell you exactly what you want to know. I don't really have that much authority. But I _can_ tell you _how _to get that information."

Now this peeked Karin's interest. Dropping her second boot to the floor, she looked up at Matsumoto.

The woman smirked and went on. "You remember Captain, right? Short angry kid?" Karin nodded. "Okay, you can get all the info you're looking for from him. But, how do you get him to talk, you might ask. Well, it's simple really. All you have to do is get him to fall in love with you!" She grinned, grabbing Karin's hands.

Karin growled, ripped her hands away, and stood up to grab her school shoes. "No."

"Awe! Come on, Karin! I've never seen him show interest in a girl before… so I need you to win a bet! A couple of the guys think he's gay…"

Karin slammed the locker shut and sat back down. "Okay, I'm thinking he's the kinky type. So maybe you should buy some rope! I'll do that for you! Though I'm not sure you could get him tied up…"

"Hey! I could tie up anybody!" Karin yelled, standing up. She had finished switching shoes. Realizing what she had just said, her cheeks flushed a lovely shade of pink.

"Ohhh. So that's the kind of girl you are, Karin!" Matsumoto winked. The pink quickly turned to red, and Karin moved away in the direction of her classroom. "You should stay in that outfit, too! Let him teach the naughty schoolgirl a lesson!" She shouted, as Karin began running away from her.

_**/**_

Karin sighed, reflecting on her current position. She was standing out in the hallway, holding a bucket of water. Her teacher wasn't too pleased with her tardiness…

She was just hoping none of those Seireitei kids would happen past. She felt relatively safe, though. What would any of them be doing in a freshman hallway? Looking down the hall at the sound of footsteps, she internally groaned at her bad luck.

"Oh. Karin!" The two girls halted in their advancement.

Karin looked at them awkwardly. "I don't know your names…"

"Oh, my name is Rukia Kuchiki."

"And I'm Isane Kotetsu. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you." Karin repeated.

"Were you late?" Isane asked, motioning to the bucket. Karin looked down at the offending object.

"Ah… yea."

"Hey guys, I got the cam-" Hinamori paused, coming to a stop beside her comrades, just now seeing Karin. "Come on guys, Shiro wouldn't want us talking to her." Hinamori continued walking.

Karin smiled when she saw Rukia roll her eyes. Nevertheless, the two older girls followed after Hinamori.

"Bye, Karin! We've got to go take some pictures for the yearbook. It was a pleasure meeting you!" Isane called back.

Karin gave her a nod, before returning to her bucket.

_**/**_

Once the last bell had finally rang, Karin sluggishly packed up her homework. She was in no rush. It wasn't until the rest of the class had emptied, that she remembered Seireitei. Hurrying out the room and down the hall, she took a moment to find her sister.

"Hey Karin. What took you so long?" Yuzu asked, upon seeing her twin.

"Ah, sorry Yuzu, but I've gotta stay after for a little bit."

"Oh… well okay. Did you want me to wait for you?"

"No, go ahead. I'm not really sure how late I'll be staying."

"Well alright… But make sure you're home for dinner!"

Karin smiled and waved as her sister turned to leave, jogging lightly to catch up to Jinta.

Now alone, with the exception of a few students lagging behind in the entryway, Karin turned to the right and headed toward the hallway in which the Seireitei classroom resided.

She didn't bother knocking. She just slid the door open and stepped in time. She was surprised to find the room empty, though. Sighing out of annoyance, she turned to leave when she was stopped by an attention grabbing cough. Looking over at the teacher's desk, she saw none other than Toshirou Hitsugaya sitting there.

"I knew you'd come. Though I do recall giving you your last warning, already." His cold eyes bore into her as he sat with his elbows on the desk, fingers entwined.

Karin refused to look away. She wouldn't give him that satisfaction. As well, she, for whatever reason, felt the need to prove herself to him. This was rather strange for the girl, considering she'd never cared for the opinion of some guy, before. She thought back to his statement, and realized she didn't know how to answer him. So, she just watched him, waiting for him to continue.

He, seeing Karin's stubborn attitude, sighed and continued on. "The way you fight is good for a beginner. You're strong as well, I can see that. However," He glared. "You're an idiot. You don't think before you leap. You openly picked a fight with both Momo and myself, whilst surrounded by _our_ comrades."

Karin scoffed. "Comrades? They're called friends, Toshirou." His glare quickly intensified.

"Let's get one thing straight; you will address me as either Captain Hitsugaya or Mr. Hitsugaya."

Karin was about to retort, but then let what he had just said sink in. "Does that mean I'll be seeing more of you then, Sir?" she clarified, mocking him with the use of 'sir'.

"Who knows?" He drawled, standing up from the teacher's desk. As he walked around toward Karin, he continued. "At the moment, all I know about you is that I can't trust you. So what reason do I have to even consider clueing you in on the Seireitei?" He stopped, standing before her with his arms crossed. Though he was older, he wasn't more than three inches taller than her.

Karin looked him in the eye. She didn't know what he could be talking about. Unless… No, there's no way he could know she lied about her name. He was simply bluffing! "Look, brat, don't speak to me like you're better than me," As she took a moment to inhale a breath, Toshirou butt in.

"I speak to you as someone you want something from."

Karin glared. "Just stop with the riddles, _okay_? So what exactly is it that I did that caused your distrust?"

"Why don't you tell me, Ms. Suzuki." He looked at her knowingly, and she understood. She didn't know how he knew, but he knew.

Karin smirked, hiding her anxiety. "So what are you gonna do now?" she asked, rhetorically. However, he still had an answer.

"Well I guess I'm just going to have to follow you to your house. See who you really are."

_**10 reviews and an update next weekend**_

_**20 reviews and an update immediately**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Nympholepsy**

_A frenzy of emotion, as for something unattainable._

**Chapter 5**

Karin was walking along a familiar dirt path whilst trying to figure something out. Toshirou, the cause of her dilemma, walked but a few paces behind her. Karin cursed under her breath, and turned to walk backwards. "Could you just leave me alone?"

"Sure, as soon as I've verified your identity." Toshirou replied, looking incredibly bored. Though, from what she'd seen, that's how he always looked.

"I told you, my name is Suz-" Karin's defense was cut short, as the heel of her foot kicked a rock on the side of the road, and she went stumbling backwards, until she landed on her bum. She let out an "Oof" as she hit the dirt road.

Toshirou sighed, walked closer, and offered her his hand. Karin looked at the offending hand for a moment, and then chose to ignore it. She had already been embarrassed enough, as it is. Closing her eyes, she effortlessly pushed herself up to her feet, and went about whipping the dusty dirt off of her backside. After thoroughly clean, she turned back to face the oncoming road, and began walking again. "Go home, Toshirou."

"Hitsugaya."

About to retort, Karin was again interrupted. This time, it was from the rumbling of her empty stomach, though.

"Hungry? You really should go home now. Have dinner." Toshirou taunted.

Karin took notice of the pink sky and remembered Yuzu was expecting her home for dinner. Karin chose to ignore Toshirou's comment. It was best to just try to ignore him. She located the nearest fast food joint from memory, and continued on the dirt road, with her puppy right on her heels.

About a mile of silence and setting sun later, Karin arrived at a McDonalds. Walking inside, she was glad to see there wasn't much of a line. When it was finally her turn, she ordered a double cheeseburger to go, and looked up at Toshirou. He raised his eyebrow at her.

"Aren't you hungry?" She asked.

Toshirou wrinkled his nose and looked up at the menu. "I don't eat fast food."

Karin nodded and turned back to the cashier. "Make that two double cheeseburgers."

The cashier nodded, punched a couple buttons on his register, and looked back up at the duo. "$2.12.". Karin went to get her bag off her back to fish out the money, but before she could, Toshirou had set a $5 bill on the counter. Karin looked up at him curiously.

"I don't like to be in debt to anybody." He explained, not looking at her.

Karin raised an eyebrow. "Whatever, I'll take the free food." Then looked back at the cashier as he brought their bag of food over. She couldn't see it, but Toshirou had to fight to keep himself from smiling.

Karin grabbed the bag, Toshirou grabbed his change, and together, they walked out of the restaurant. Not too far down the road was a grassy hill with a nice view of the city. Once they had reached their destination, the two climbed over the guard rail and took a seat on the grass. Karin set the bag between them and pulled out the two wrapped burgers. She handed one to Toshirou, and quickly opened the second one for herself.

While she quickly devoured her own, Toshirou took slow, small bites. Karin watched him with amusement. He really was serious when he said he didn't like fast food. When he had finished and the sun had set, he looked over at his ward.

"Are we done wasting time, now?" he asked. Karin frowned.

"I would hardly call eating a waste of time. Besides, you don't have to be here. You can go home whenever you want."

Toshirou looked back toward the dark sky. There was just no winning with her. Her stubbornness reminded him of someone… He looked back at her. There was no way… could she be…?

They reminded there, in the dark, for another hour or so. Karin had been trying to think of somewhere to go, but she just couldn't figure anything out. Maybe she could go to Orihime Inoue's house? She was Ichigo's friend… and she lived alone. But even then, she was associating herself with Ichigo's group. She closed her eyes to better focus on her thoughts. She didn't really have any close friends. She used to, back in elementary school, but they had grown apart over the years. She thought back to her childhood friends. They sure had a lot of fun back in those days. No worries in the world. Just soccer… her mind began replaying some old memories, and that was the last thing she remembered….

When Karin began to regain consciousness, she suddenly became very aware of the fact that she had fallen asleep outside. Jumping up into a sitting position, Karin surveyed her surroundings. She was in… bed? She didn't remember ever leaving the hill with Toshirou… Toshirou… oh no! He must know who she is, now. How did he figure it out? They didn't really look all that alike… maybe she said something in her sleep?

Glancing over at the digital clock, she noticed she only had an hour until her alarm would go off, and she'd have to get up for school. She realized that because she had gone to bed so early, she'd never be able to get back to sleep. Sighing, she decided to get up and do her homework, seeing as she hadn't had the time earlier.

Yuzu had probably just gotten up, as well. Deciding to pay her sister a visit before she got to work on anything, she walked down to the kitchen. Indeed, there she was, just getting breakfast started. Upon hearing Karin's footsteps, Yuzu turned to see who was there.

"Karin! Where were you last night? I was so worried when you didn't show up for dinner!" Yuzu gushed, dropping her cooking utensils, and running over to hug Karin.

"Sorry Yuzu, I ended up staying a bit later than I expected…" Karin lied. She hadn't actually been at school for more than ten minutes after class had ended.

"Well you should've called, or something!"

Karin rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

The corner of Yuzu's mouth tightened on one side, giving off a 'well what can you do' expression. "Well at least you're safe. Just call next time, okay?"

Karin smiled. "Okay."

"Breakfast should be done in about an hour. Do you want to help?" Yuzu offered. She was always trying to get Karin to be a little more domestic, so she could please her future husband better.

"Actually I was gonna try to get my homework done."

"Oh, okay. Well if you need any help, I'll be here."

Karin nodded. "Thanks. Seeya in a bit." And with that, she went back up to her room.

_**/**_

Upon arriving at school, Karin went straight for the Seireitei classroom in search of Toshirou. He wasn't there, but a couple of the other members were. Luckily for her, Matsumoto was one of them. As she saw the mischief light up in the red head's eyes, however, she began to rethink just how lucky she was.

Sauntering toward the open doorway, Matsumoto greeted Karin with a right embrace. "Hello Karin!" she cheered.

"Ah, good morning, Matsumoto. Sorry, but I'm in kind of a hurry. Can you tell me where I can find Toshirou?" Karin said, once Matsumoto had loosened her hold.

"Awwwe! Captain really _did_ get himself a girlfriend!" Matsumoto cheered. Karin tried to tell her it wasn't like that, but the older woman wouldn't let her object. So she just sighed and gave up trying to convince her they weren't dating.

"Can you just please tell me where he is?" she asked, still trying to be polite.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to keep you from your man." She winked. Karin rolled her eyes. "He went to class already." Matsumoto continued on, telling Karin which class he was in, and where to find it.

As Karin made her way to the third floor, she suddenly realized Toshirou was only a junior. She had assumed he was a senior, because he hung around with a lot of them, but he was actually only two years older than herself! She smirked. His height made a little more sense, now.

Karin stopped a girl about to enter Toshirou's classroom, and asked if she would tell the boy that Karin needed to speak with him. The girl sized Karin up, laughed, and continued into the classroom.

Karin, now too annoyed to care, just walked right into the classroom. She was easily able to locate Toshirou- his hair really stood out- and marched over to him. She reached to grab his shoulder, but he turned around and caught her wrist before she could make contact.

She glared. "We need to talk."

"I don't take orders from little girls."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh _please_ Mr. Hitsugaya, won't you just give me a moment to speak with you in private?" She asked, he voice dripping with sarcasm.

He sighed, and checked the clock. You've got five minutes.

Together, they made their way up to the deserted roof. Once they got there, Karin shut the door behind them.

"How the _hell_ did you find out I'm Ichigo's sister?" She immediately screamed at him.

His shocked expression surprised her, however. He quickly recovered though, and smirked at her. "Well you just told me. That's how."

Karin blinked. "But… if you didn't know… how'd I get home?" She asked, trying but failing miserably at hiding her confusion.

"You fell asleep, I simply brought you to a nearby clinic." He explained, still smirking.

Karin was flabbergasted. So this is why Yuzu always warned her not to jump to conclusions…

When she was finally able to recover, she looked him in the eye. "So… what happens now?"

_**;D who caught the My Puppy Shiro refereeence?**_

_**Plus I used flabbergasted. Be jealous.**_

_**Thanks oodles for all your reviews~**_

**10 reviews – update next weekend**

**20 reviews – update asap**


	6. Chapter 6

**Nympholepsy**

_A frenzy of emotion, as for something unattainable._

**Chapter 6**

Toshirou stepped forward, put his hands in his pockets, and looked off to the right. Moments of silence passed between them, before Toshirou spoke. "I'll need to know more about you before I make that decision. Ultimately, I think it'd be best for you to forget about Seireitei and go back to your normal daily routine." He paused as he turned to look at her. Seeing her expression, he smirked. "I didn't think so." Moving even closer to her, he continued. "Are you willing to hate someone strictly because you're told to? Are you willing to put your life on the line for an adrenaline rush?" he stopped, again, now mere inches from her. "Are you prepared to die?" he whispered, with an edge of cruelty in his voice.

Karin didn't even attempt to conceal her shock. Her expression softened as she dropped her head slightly and looked at her shoes. "I…" Her head snapped up, fierce eyes glaring at Toshirou. "Everything you've just said to me is stupid. I _don't _let other people make my opinions, I _do_ know of safer ways to get an adrenaline rush, and I _would never_ be so selfish as to put myself in a dire situation. I have a family, and I could never willingly hurt them like that."

Toshirou raised an eyebrow. "Have you ever been part of a team, Kurosaki?"

Karin frowned "I play soccer."

Toshirou nodded. "And how do you feel toward the members of the opposing team? Do you take the time to get to know them as individuals, or do you just accept that they are your enemies, and fight them to the end?"

"I-"

"Exactly. Because you have a team, and they are trying to beat your team, you have no problems with destroying their hopes, as long as yours are fulfilled."

Karin was growing angry.

"Soccer indeed is a very dangerous sport." Toshirou continued, cocking his head, a smile of triumph forming on his lips. "You're aware of this, I know."

Karin looked away.

"So why do you do it then, despite the possibility of an injury? It's because it's fun. You enjoy it. And why do you enjoy it? Because of the feeling it gives you. The… _adrenaline_."

"Stop acting like you know me." Karin glared. "You know nothing about me."

Toshirou nodded. "Which is exactly why I've asked you these questions. I already know you can't keep a secret," He eyed her up and down. "Kurosaki."

And with that, Karin had enough. She leapt at Toshirou, much like how Hinamori had jumped on her the other day. Her body never crashed on top of his, however, for he had sidestepped her in time. Speedy as he was, after he moved away, he grabbed Karin's arm and used it to twist her around. Holding her arm painfully behind her, he pushed her against the brick wall that had earlier been behind her. The whole ordeal hadn't taken more than a second.

Karin ignored the pain. She refused to show him how much he had hurt her. Pressing his body against her back, Toshirou whispered in Karin's ear. "Are you afraid?"

She tried to shove him off, but he wouldn't budge. It didn't matter, though, because he soon released her, and moved back. Before she could speak, he said "If you're not afraid, and want to learn to fight- to protect those you love, come here after school. I won't be waiting long, so be sure you've made up your mind before the last bell."

And with that, he turned and opened the door. He went back into the building, leaving Karin alone to contemplate his words.

_**/**_

Throughout the day, Karin's mind had become increasingly plagued by Toshirou's words. _"Are you afraid?"_. She wasn't afraid; Karin Kurosaki was never afraid. At least, she'd never allow herself to admit to being afraid. But wasn't not showing up the same as confessing to fear? She'd have to- if anything just to protect her reputation. But… she also remembered Ichigo. Her beloved brother, Ichigo. Always strong, always fighting… Always protecting. If even he, after getting mixed up with the Seireitei, wound up unconscious and bleeding heavily in his bed, was there any hope for her? But… well, it wasn't like he was dead, or anything. Maybe they didn't actually let things get that far?

The bell rang… the final bell. Karin sighed and stood up. She knew what she had to do.

_**/**_

Toshirou stood atop the rooftop with his hands in his pockets, just staring up at the sky. The wind was blowing lightly, ruffling his hair and lifting the ends of his unzipped blazer. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he checked the time. She had one minute left to show up.

Roughly twenty seconds later, he was not surprised to hear the door open up behind him. He heard her coming.

Turning to face her, he took note of her determined expression.

"I am _not_ afraid. 'to protect those you love' that's what you said. Teach me how to better protect my family… and… I need to know what happened to Ichigo!" Toshirou could see a fire burning in her eyes. The same that had once been in his. He thought this would be all fun and games when he joined, too. The things you see… the things they do… they change you. But he didn't care what happened to Karin. He just wanted to use her before she was used against him.

"I see… though I will not, nor will the others, tell you what happened to your brother, I trust you will be able to figure it out soon enough."

Karin frowned. "Toshirou, I think it's time I got an explanation."

Ignoring her question, he continued on. "Though I realize it is hard for you to keep your mouth shut, I must advice you don't tell anyone else who you really are."

Karin bit back an insult, in retaliation for his about her 'big mouth', and asked "Do they know I'm not who I say am I? I mean… will they be trying to investigate me, too."

Toshirou shook his head. "Against my better judgment, I didn't inform anyone of my suspicions. I see potential in you. If one of the higher ups found out who you are..." He smirked. "I probably shouldn't be scaring you off."

"I told you, I'm not afraid." There was a small pause in the conversation. "Wait… I thought you were the leader? And for that matter, how did you find out I wasn't who I said I was?"

"Who knows?" Toshirou responded, looking back up at the sky. A beeping sound came from his pocket. Grabbing his phone back out, Toshirou became transfixed with what was on it. Snapping the phone shut and putting it away, Toshirou began moving toward Karin.

"You'll find someone waiting for you by the gate after school tomorrow. Don't ask questions, just follow them. As of tomorrow, you are officially a member of Seireitei. Your training will commence. And," Standing just to the right of her now, he flipped her skirt up in one swift motion. "I would suggest you buy something to conceal your modesty."

Before Karin was able to make him pay for what he had just done, he was gone. She turned around and looked down the stairwell. It was empty.

_**Sorry it's so late. I burnt both my hands… Please don't ask how. You should all know by now that I'm a moron.**_

**10 reviews update next weekend**

**20 reviews update asap**


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